Do I complain a lot?

I'm never quite sure how I come off here anyway - I don't know if I come off as whiny, pathetic, or or as a know-it-all, or like I have perfect kids, or that I'm totally Mrs. Simple extraordinaire, or what (for the record, I hope I don't come off like any of that.)

But I'm talking a little bit more like in real life, and I am wondering if I complain a lot.  And some of my readers know me, and maybe could answer that because I do tend to be fairly "real" around my friends, but perhaps maybe I don't complain as much around them as I do as say, around The Simple Family.

Because one of the members of The Simple Family, who shall remain nameless, did say something that perhaps I complained a little more than necessary.

And so I've been thinking about it.

Do I?

And how much is too much?

And what is o.k. to complain about?

Is it o.k. to complain about money when we are getting food on the table, mortgage and utilities paid, clothes on our backs, and we go out to dinner every now and again?

Is it o.k. to complain about my childrens' school situation when they are getting core classes covered, and they have good teachers and they are getting good grades?

Is it o.k. to complain about my house when we aren't underwater at all, when we have equity, when we have 4 bedrooms, and 2100 square feet of livable space?

Is it o.k. to complain about my health when all my limbs work, I can see, I can hear, and I can think, and I don't have any condition that prevents me from carrying on a "normal" life?

Is it o.k. to complain about feeling lonely when I have friends?

Is it o.k. to complain about feeling like I'm starting my career all over when I was the one who chose to go to part time (which led to my layoff)? And I'm the one who continued to chose to do preschool/daycare so that I could be home much of the time with my kids? So that I could homeschool?

I don't know.  So I'm going to try and think before I complain.  I'm going to try and decide how much I really complain.  And I'm going to try and see what I'm complaining about that most.  And perhaps, by looking at what I complain the most about, then maybe I can look to see if there is anything that I can do to change it.

There are things that I know I can't really change.  Except maybe my attitude.  And I'll work on that too.  Although that may be the hardest at all.  I'd much rather complain about things that I can't change than accept that I can't change it.